Photographic-printing apparatus.



W. R. R. FRYE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7. I916. I I 1 ,27 5,239. Patented Aug. 1.3, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

W. R. R. FRYE.

PHOTOGRAPH) PRINTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-17 1916.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WYATT BICHABD R. FRYE, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

PHOTOGRAPHIC-PRINTING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, 'WYA'I'I RICHARD R. FRYE, a. citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-Printing Apparatus; of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to the art of printing from photographic negatives, and has for its principal object the production of an apparatus in which the printing anal); be accomplished by means of artificial Another object of the invention is to provide means for suitably controlling the light employed sothat the intensity thereof may be varied relative to any particular portion of. the film in order to produce an even print from an unbalanced negative.

Another object of the invention resides in the'combination of means for controlling each of the lights as above referred to with means operated independently thereof and upon the final positioning of the negative for automatically and simultaneously lighting all of the lights which have been previously manually thrown into circuit.

Other and further objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be pointed out in the specification hereinafter following by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof and in which like characters have been used to represent like parts throughout the sev eral views thereof.

Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of my improved photographic printing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a modification. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring system. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 with the laten in closed position. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a switch and the operating means therefor. Fig. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view on the line BB of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detail view showing a lamp mounting.

In the devices heretofore employed for printing from photographic negatives, by means of artificial light, it has been customary. to vary the position of the light source relative to the negative in order to produce an even print irrespective 'of the density of the negative used. This method is objectionable for the reason that it rethe platen in position there are provid suitable compression springs 16 on each of Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 13, 1918,

Application filed February 17, 1916. Serial No. 78,874.

uires considerable time to position the light and does not sufiiciently control the light to produce a clear, even print. In printing from negatives having one portion thereof considerably thicker than another portion it is necessary that some means be rovided for increasing the brilliancy of the ight adjacent the thick portion of the film and decreasing the same adjacent the thin portion. Such control of each of thelamps employed enables the operator to produce an even print, and by providing a plurality of electric lamps so arranged that one is adjacent each corner of the film,'with'an individual switch for each of the lamps in convenient reach of the operator, this regulation'may be quickly and positively accomplished.

Referringmore particularly to the drawings, the main body 1 of the photographic device is provided with a lining of asbestos or other suitable material 2 which is securely held in place by a protective covering of noninfiammable material such as tin. The upper side of the body of the device is. provided with an opening 5 adapted to re.- ceive a ground glass or other suitable plate 6 upon which the negative together with the paper is placed for the printing operation. In order to hold the paper and. negative in close contact with the glass plate and to prevent relative movement between the two there is preferably provided a platen 7 composed of three parts hingedly connected together. The platenis secured in position on the apparatus by'means of the nuts 8 which are adapted to be adjusted to provide more or less room as desired between .theplaten and the plate. to accommodate either a plate or a film. In order to accomplish this adjustment, the platen and the cooperating portion of the body of the device may be provided with counter sunk' spring sockets 9 for the reception of adjusting springs 10. For operating the platen there is preferably -provided a transverse bar 11 suitably secured between the bifurcated ends of an upright post 12 carried by the device adjacent one of the sides thereof. Each of the sections of the platen has a split post 14 thereon for receiving and guiding the transverse bar 11, and these posts are preferably provided with rollers 15 adapted to run on the transverse bar as a track. For firmly holdin the posts, these springs being held in position by the follower blocks 17, and theirv upward movement limited when the parts are in open position by the stops 18. By providing stops and follower blocks as herein shown to cooperate with the rollers 15 friction between the parts is greatly reduced and the operation thereby facilitated. -After the platen has been manually operated, and in order to automatically return the same to its normal or open position as shown in Fig. 1. there is provided a U-shaped member 19 carried by the transverse bar 11 and having its ends curved to pass through the guide blocks 20. Each of the legs of the U-shaped member is preferably provided with an abutment 21 adapted to compress the open coil spring 22- against the guide blocks when the platen is moved to closed position. By reason of this compression of the open coil spring it is apparentthat upon release of the platen the spring will tend to resume its normal position and thereby move the laten to its open position. To facilitate t e assembling of the parts the transverse bar may be cut away alongthe lower edge to receive the U-shaped member, and provided with suitably constructed guard plates 24 for holding this member in position.

In Fig. 2 -I have shown a slightly modified form of my invention which is more particularly adapted for commercial use where it is desired to produce a great number of prints in a short time. In this form the main body of the device is carried by supporting legs 25 which are reinforced and held in position by the cross-bars 26. Piv' otally mounted on one of the cross-bars 26 is a treadle 27 having the front end thereof projecting through an operating yoke 28 which is carried by the levers 29 pivotally mounted on opposite sides of the body of the device on pivots 30, The opposite ends of the levers 29 are connected by a cross-rod 31. In this form ofthe device the platen is preferably provided with two or more transverse bars having extensions 32. For operatively connecting these extensions with the cross-rod there may be provided links or other suitable connecting members 34., The

parts are returned to normal position after operation by closed coil springs 35 secured in any suitable manner to the forward ends of the levers 29.

For furnishing the artificial light, I pref erably employ a plurality of incandescent lamps 36, 37, 38 and 39. As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3, one of these lamps/is? preferably positioned within the main body of the device adjacent each corner thereof and beneath the corresponding corners of the ground glass plate inthe upper side of the ably mounted exteriorly of the casing and within convenient reach of the operator, the

other terminal is connected to the feed wire 41 by means of the connecting wires 44, the switches 36, 37', 38', and 39, and the return wire 45. By means of the switches before referred to, each of the lamps may bejndividually controlled, and by reason of this control the intensity of the light adjacent'any desired portion of the ground glass plate may be changed in order to allow for films having heavy and light portions. For example, if theportion of the film above the lamp 36is comparatively heavy, and the portion adjacent the lamp 39 is thin, the lamp 36 would be turned on by means of the switch 36, and the lamp 39 would be turned off by means of its controlling switch 39. In order to simultaneously control all of the lamps manually so that it can be readily seen which ones have been thrown into circuit, and thereby permit visualization ofthe lighting conditions, I there is provided a manually operated switch 46 in the-return wire 45. This switch 46 is connectedin parallel with a second switch 46 which is operated by the rod 47 mounted for vertical movement in the front of the body 1. "The upper end of the rod 47 isguided within the casing 48 carrying a spring 49 which tends to hold the rod 47 in its elevated position by reason of its pressure against the cross-head 50. For operating the rod 47 to close the switch, the transverse bar 11 is preferably provided with a pin 51 adapted to pass through the opening and engage the upper end of the switch rod, and depress the same intothe position shown in Fig. 4. For

holding the platen in its closed position, the pin carries a suitably constructed latch 54 normally projected into forward or engaging position with the plate 55 by means of a spring 56 engaging the tail 57 of the latch. In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the switch 58, which corresponds to the switch 46, is operated through-the medium of the rod 59 passing through the treadle 27 and provided with cross-heads 60 adapted to engage the opposite sides of the switch for closing and opening the same res ectively.

The apparatus being adapted i dark room, I have provided a non-actinic lamp 61which is directly connected to the feed Wires and is thereby in circuit at all times for enabling the operator to properly position his materials on the glass plate. If so desire, I may provide the body of the device with a door 62 which may be opened or use in a at will by the operator to permit the insertion or removal of vignetting plates 64 carried in the grooves 65 suitably formed interiorly of the device.

The operation of my improved photographic printing apparatus is as follows: The switch it) is manually operated to complete. the circuit leading to the individual controlling switches 36, etc., and these individual switches are all manually operated to control the incandescent lamps in the desired manner in accordance with the negative from which the print is to be made. The lamps having been suitably controlled, the switch 46 is turned to cut all of the lamps out of circuit. The negative and the paper are then properly positioned on the ground glass plate by means of the. light given from the. non-actinic lamp. The platen is then operated either through the medium of the transverse bar or the treadle, and by reason of the three-part construction grips the rear edge of the paper first and thereby prevents creeping of the same. After the platen has completed its downward movements the transverse bars compres the springs to produce an even pressure throughout. and by this final compression the pin is moved into engagement with the rod 47 to close the switch 46. The closing of this switch automatically throws into circuit all of the lamps which had formerly been manually controlled. It is desirable that the light should not be turned on until all of the parts are firmly held in position, and it will be apparent that this is accomplished in my device by the final compression of the springs, or in the modification by the distance between the cross-heads 60.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. vIn a photographic printing apparatus, a frame, a platen carried thereby, said platen being composed of a plurality of sections, posts carried by each of said sections, compression springs surrounding each of said posts, a transverse bar carried by said frame and passing through said posts for operating the platen, and anti-friction means for said bar in each of said posts, said anti-friction means permitting said posts to change their angular relation to the transverse bar during opening and closing movements of the platen.

2. In a photographic printing device of the character specified a portable light proof box, a plurality of actinic electric lamps within said box and adapted to be lighted at the will of the operator. va non-actinie lamp also within said box and adapted to be continuously lighted, a lighttransmitting window on the top of said box, a manually operated platen adapted to cover said window, in combination with a plurality of light switches mounted on the side of said box, there being an independent switch for each actinic lamp, an automatic switch controlling the current to said switches, said automatic switch being operated by the closing of the platen, and a hand controlled switch also mounted on the side of said box and connected in parallel with the said automatic switch whereby current to the actinic lamps may be supplied independently of the automatic switch to enable the operator to visualize light conditions within the box when the platen is open.

3. A photographic printing apparatus of the character described comprising in combination a box carrying a plurality of actinic electric lamps, one side wall of said box being inset to provide a casing. a door for closing said casing, a window in the top of said box and adapted to support a suitable photographic negative. a platen constructed to cover said window, means for operating said platen, a plurality of manually controlled switches mounted on said side wall, there being aswitch for each actinic lamp, an automatic switch for controlling the electrical current being supplied to thesaid manually operated switches, said automatic switch being operated by the platen closing means, and means for visualizing the effective light conditions of said actinic lamps when the platen is open.

WYATT RICHARD n. have.

Copies of this patent my be obtained for five centl each, by lddrening the "colmhflonor o! Innate, Wellington, D. 0." 

